There is a hole in our lives. We are always seeking to fill it up. Most people don’t know what is missing in their lives. But are willing to look for this missing piece to fill that hole. It starts very early in life. As kids we look for something important for our lives. Most want to firemen, policemen, soldiers or doctors. They think that will fill the void in their lives. As we get older we look in different directions. When girls come into view, then we need money to pursue that direction. Depending on whether or not we go on to college, which is a whole new avenue, our search intensifies. But somehow in the back of my mind I knew what would fill that hole. I started drinking in college with buddies. It continued after college without the buddies. I was drinking up to 10 mixed drinks at one sitting. I knew I had to quit. Finally I walked away from it and never regretted that decision. I was 28 years old and still didn’t fill the void in my life. I was miserable. I began seeking a new job opportunity which turned into a calling. As these businessmen introduced me to the one person who could fill the hole in my life. To my surprise the person was always there waiting for me to turn around and see Him. Of course that person is Jesus. He began to fill the hole in my life, not with booze, or drugs, or sex. He filled my life with love, joy and peace. And I became whole for the first time in my life. As the bible says, in Matthew 6:28-32 “And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”
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Honor your Mother
Today is Mother’s Day. We go about and try to honor our Mother and Wives. The last thing Jesus did, on this earth before He died, was to see that His mother was taken care of. When God set up the family unit, He made sure that the wife was taken care of. Did you know that the wife, in the old testament, not only was in charge of the children, but owned the home. The husband was over all the family. His job was to provide and protect the family. Each wife was given dowry by her father. This was money given to his daughter to keep her secure. Because security is a major need in her life. As we go about given our mothers and wives, flowers, perfumes and every trinket we can think about. Think about how you can honor the women in your lives. Think about what they need and want. They want to be loved for who they are. They want to know that you care for them. And it isn’t one day with flowers. Honoring our mother’s is a lifelong journey. These women bore you into this world. They took care of us when we had needs. They gave their lives so we could go up as a whole person. what do you give to a woman that did this for us? Think about it. And know that every gift you bought for her, doesn’t even come close. Your love and gratitude shown every day comes close to honoring your mother or wife.
Great Gain
What is enough? How much does it take to satisfy your desire? What is the end result? It’s funny how our heart desires things. We want what we want. All of our lives are planned out to acquire things for our lives. In the past few years there had been a minimalist movement in America. People have been going for tiny houses. Houses so small that they are the size of a room in most houses. It is a backlash to the greed that is rampant in our country. But how much is enough? If you gain the whole world and lose your soul, what is it worth? It is unfortunate how much it cost us to gain the whole world. Do you know the cost? Are you willing to pay the price? Understand that there is nothing wrong with having money. It is when money becomes your god that everything goes sideways. When money is more important than people, it is very destructive. My mom use to say all things in moderation. She was saying that you control the things you do and what you own. And do this with balance in your life. It was and is good advice. By most standards, my parent were middle income. They had a large home and a motorhome. We were comfortable. It was a blessing. I worked for extra money since I was 13 years old. I developed a good work ethic. But it wasn’t until I found the Lord did I become satisfy with life. My life has been blessed. My family and I never lacked for anything. If I needed I received from God. You know God spoke to me and told me not to look at catalogs. They gender greed in your life. But more than that I learned a most important lesson about being satisfied in life. God says it much than I. In 1 Timothy 6:6, 7 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”
411
We are in the age of information. It comes so fast it is hard to process it all. The news media tries to keep up with it. But most of the time it is just nonsense. Everybody has ideas and usually it is displayed on social media. All this information is not always informative. It is just new. I have heard this story before. Oh yes, the people of ancient Athens had itching ears to hear something new and endless discussions. But never coming to a conclusion. It seems that information is more to confuse people than to help. Having more information isn’t always a good thing. Most people believe that they receive information about this world through their mind. You can see with your eyes, hear with your ears, speak with your mouth, but that is only part of the information you receive. We hear with our hearts. We as a human being are made up of a body, soul and spirit. The body comes from the dust of the earth. The soul is the life that God gives to unite your spirit and body. The spirit is who you are and is eternal. When people talk about your heart, they really mean your spirit. God made us in His image and likeness. We have attributes that God has that we can access, such as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, gentleness, meekness and temperance. Our heart searches for these attributes all of our lives. Hoping that we can find them in the things of this world. That is why the heart is a lonely hunter for God. The only way to receive what God has is to receive it from God himself. There is no other way that the Heart can truly be satisfied. Straight is the gate and narrow is the way.
Living without Hope
Troubles seem to come to us as easily as the sun rises. I see it in people’s eyes. The sadness and lack of hope that anything will work right. People become afraid of circumstances and I hear in their voice. And they don’t know what to do. Ever felt like a stranger or an outcast in your own home? I grieve for that mother who buried her teenage son yesterday and for the families that lost their fathers. People who have no hope are willing to do anything to try get some safety back in their lives. This is how wars are started. I use to live this way. I had no hope that anything would work out. It was so frustrating. It scared me so much that I was willing to do anything. Then I was shown that hope did exist. Hope in my life came when people believe that I was worth something and my life could be good. People showed me that there was a way. It took almost three months for me to believe that this could happen to me. They used patience and love to show me the way. And when I began to believe my life began to turn around. You see the only hope for this world is Jesus Christ. He can change lives and restore us to our proper place. When I saw how much my Father, who is in heaven, loves me, I began to cry for the sin in my life. God believes that every person on earth has value. And His judgement is correct. God never made any trash. All of creation is perfect. And you can be again. Accept the hope God is offering.
When all hell breaks loose
What do you do when all hell breaks loose? Many people would say you respond in kind. But that isn’t what is necessary. Anger words stir up strife. Violence will be met with violence. Many of the disciples of Jesus found many places unwilling to hear what the gospel had to say. Some were stoned and some killed. But the answer to violence has always been the same. Today we heard about the violence in Baton Rouge. 3 policemen were killed. It mobilized the entire city police, sheriff’s department and the state police. Helicopter were called in and a man hunt began. And they will not quit until they have all the shooters in custody or dead. During the day I saw the mother of the first young black man that was killed speak of TV. She called for the end of violence. She said to protest the killings peacefully. She said many things that Martin Luther King said. Social change doesn’t come with violence. But peaceful demonstration does change what people think. I remember as a child seeing the horrible way the protesters in the peace marches were treated and knew there had to be a change. And change came. Jesus told His disciples to love people and speak the truth in love. He said this will change the hearts of people. And you have to have a change of heart before anything will change. And another lady said that we need to pray to ask God to change circumstances. This is the only place it come from. Pray fervently for peace.
The Lack of Trust
I look at the world as see one thing prevalent in all societies, the lack of trust. The way the world is going no one will trust anyone. It is like the saying, its dog eat dog world, is true. Everyone is out for themselves. Money seems to be the prevailing rule. He who has the gold rules the world. What happens when the world economy crashes like it did in 1929? I wasn’t a trusting person before I met the Lord. I mistrusted everyone. I was hurt by literally by everyone. And I was going to get even. It is hard still today to be open and trusting. I look at my world and people are still as greedy as ever. They want what they want. And no one is going to get in their way. What I know is that I came to the end of myself. I was drowning in my anger and mistrust. I needed help to get out of my situation. I knew where to go to get help but I wasn’t willing to go there. I needed proof that I wasn’t going to be hurt again. And that proof came along in the faces of 2 men who gave of themselves. They did it just to help me. It took time for me to believe and to trust. But I am glad I did. Because I saw what was real and what wasn’t. What I thought was real really wasn’t. I had to relearn everything. For the longest time I have seen people hold up a sign that read John 3:16. I know now that what it says is true. It says, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In this saying I can trust that my life in this world and the world to come is secure. Place your trust in Him and He will secure your life too.
Compelled by Compassion
Compelled has different definitions. It can mean forced or voluntary. When I was younger I subscribed to Time Magazine. I always enjoyed reading the articles. I love to read. In the fall of 1978, I was lying on my bed reading about abandon children in Brazil. At the time, they estimated that there were 14,000,000 abandon children on the streets of Brazil. The next thing I remember was that I was standing on my feet crying out to God to do something about the children. I realized then I was called to a life of service to God. I was moved by compassion. Brazil was a 3rd world country and had no real industry. The country was so impoverished that parents were abandoning their children because they couldn’t feed them. I know of 2 international known Evangelist that worked in Brazil. Bernard Johnson established over 200 churches. He led over 1,800,000 Brazilians to a relationship with Jesus. He also built several bible colleges. The German Evangelist Reinhardt Bonnke did the same. What happened next was nothing short of miraculous. The economy of Brazil came back. Life became better for the average person. God intervenes in the affairs of men. Today Brazil has the 9th largest economy in the world. It is also the 7th largest purchasing power in the world. There is nothing too great for God. As He says, what is impossible for man; is possible for God. If you let God’s compassion led you, you will discover a whole new world.
Eternity
It seems so far away from us, but in all actually it is right there. Crossing that threshold is one of the greatest steps you will ever make. Eternity is a place that every human will go to. Now where you go in eternity is strictly up to us. The choices we make on earth will decide where we will live in eternity. It is funny that so many people believe that there is a hell or hades, but not heaven. Or that heaven is their version of hell. We are immortal beings and will never die. This is true, but our physical body will die, but not our spirit. Our spirit is who we are, our mind, will and intellect. That will live forever. And people are gambling on their future home because they don’t want to listen to God. The bible says that we are gods, little g. It is because we have a free will and know the difference between right and wrong. We can choose what we will and do accordingly. But the only holdback to that is we have no power the change anything. We can do things, but can’t change it back if it goes wrong. How many things have gone wrong in our lives that we can’t change? Then we live with regrets or sorrow. Eternity is a permanent situation. Once we reach that point there is no changing the outcome. The shame of it is that once we make wrong choices the easier it becomes. It is called the spiral of death. And we rush headlong into death. There is only one way to change your eternity and that is through the good graces of God. He alone has the power to change our lives. And all we have to do is ask Him to help us. Reach out today and ask for deliverance. God isn’t willing that any should perish, but remember that everyone has the right to choose what they do.
The Lost Sheep
Sheep are many things. They provide wool, milk and meat. To some people they are there livelihood. In Australia there are vast herds of sheep. One of their exports to the world is wool. A sheep is dumb before its shearers. It doesn’t make a sound will it is being sheared. If a sheep sees something good to eat, it will go after it. Even if the food is in thorn bushes. The shepherd has a staff with a crook or hook on the end to pull sheep out of thorn bushes. You see sheep aren’t very smart. They have to be lead to water and food. But the sheep know their shepherd. They know the shepherd’s voice and follow. This is because the shepherd lives with them. The shepherd will protect them at all cost. Depending on the size of the herd, the shepherd will have 3 to 4 dogs with him to protect and guide the herd. It’s funny that Jesus used this parable to teach the disciples about what He saw when He began His ministry. Jesus referred to Israel as a lost herd of sheep that had no shepherd. He actually called His church sheep because they hear Jesus’ voice and follow. When the wolf came in the herd scatters. And unfortunately the church is scattered all over the place. And they aren’t listening to the shepherd. Jesus also said that He is the door to the sheepfold and no one enters in but by Him. The sheepfold is heaven, a safe place for all that belong to God. Jesus also said the My sheep hear My voice and will not follow anyone else. How will you enter into heaven if you don’t hear His voice or follow after Him?
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